Sneakers.  Who knew a sneaker could come so specialized? Today, I was educated in the art of sneakers from a very knowledgeable salesperson named “Amy” at the Runners Retreat.  Not much older than Violet (who just turned 12, remember?), Amy was impressive with her knowledge of running shoes.  From training shoes to competitive footwear, we were shown a variety of women’s sneakers from Asics Gel DS (not the video games), Brooks Ravenna, New Balance to a Mizuno Wave Nexus... and more! Amy knew each shoe better than I know my own kids, promising the Mizuno Wave Nexus to provide support and speed.  She knew the specific feature of each and every brand.  Not only that, she sized Violet’s ever growing foot.  By the time we were finished, an entire 90 minutes later, her foot grew a size!  I kid you not, Violet tried on nearly 20 different pairs of sneakers this afternoon. Being accustomed to normally shopping for shoes at Walmart or Payless, I was really impressed with Amy’s complete … [Read more...]